Beachhead
by jackwabbit
Summary: Team Fic. Season: Early, But Post-Singularity. No spoilers. Sequel Of Sorts To My Story ‘Foothold’. Summary: Beachhead, Foothold…They Are The Same…Unless You Mean That Literally. Written for ld’s AO challenge words of 'elephant', 'friends', and 'umbrella'


**Beachhead**

Rated: G

Category: Team Friendship.

Season: Early, But Post-Singularity.

Spoilers: None. Sequel Of Sorts To My Story 'Foothold'.

Summary: Beachhead, Foothold…They Are The Same…Unless You Mean That Literally.

Note: Written for ld's AO challenge words of _elephant_, _friends_, and _umbrella._

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Daniel was dead tired.

A day spent with three giggling girls will do that to a man.

All he wanted was a hot shower and his bed.

But when Sam called and invited him over to her place for an impromptu party, he could hear Jack in the background over the phone, and he knew he had no choice but to attend her little shindig.

He'd never hear the end of it if he didn't.

And so here he was, on Sam's doorstep in the dark of night.

Music, light, and laugher came from inside the house. Daniel sighed in exhaustion. He so wasn't in the mood for this, but after the ribbing he'd given Jack that morning, he knew he had to put on a brave face.

He knocked loudly on the door.

Sam answered his summons in only a moment, and she was obviously a little tipsy. Daniel grinned in spite of his sour mood, and Sam beamed brightly back at him.

"Hey, Daniel! Come on in."

Daniel stepped into the house and tried to put as much confidence and power into his stance as he could. He assured himself he could hide just how much the girls had taken out of him from his teammates. He told himself over and over that he could do this. He'd been though worse, after all. Cassandra and her friends had nothing on the Goa'uld or being shot or any number of other ordeals he'd been through, right?

Daniel nodded to himself. 'Right,' he thought. He shucked off his jacket and acknowledged his friend.

"Thanks, Sam."

"No problem."

Sam traipsed off to the living room and Daniel followed behind her.

Jack and Teal'c were firmly ensconced on the couch watching a sci-fi movie Daniel didn't recognize.

"At least it's not _Star Wars_," mumbled Daniel.

Sam giggled. "No doubt," she agreed.

"There's nothing wrong with _Star Wars_," argued Jack.

"Indeed, _Star Wars _is an excellent film, Daniel Jackson," intoned Teal'c.

Daniel raised his hands in surrender and started to babble. "Ok, ok. Don't throw a hissy! I've had about enough of that today, thank you!"

At Daniel's words, Teal'c raised an eyebrow and cocked his head, Sam giggled, and Jack clapped one hand over his mouth and began to tremble. No one spoke for a few seconds, and Daniel realized his mistake. He groaned and sank into one of Sam's oversized chairs.

Eventually, Teal'c broke the relative silence of the room.

"Daniel Jackson, I do not understand. What is a 'hissy'?"

At that, Jack's muted, stifled laughter blossomed suddenly into a full-fledged guffaw and Sam's giggles became near hysterics.

Daniel groaned again.

"It means fit, Teal'c. You know, tantrum, outburst, get stroppy, freak out, lose your cool, flip your lid, blow a gasket…"

"I think he gets the point, Daniel," interrupted Jack between calmer laughs.

Daniel glared at Jack, who had the slightest moisture of tears in the corners of his eyes from his mirth.

After a moment, it was Jack's turn to raise his hands in mock innocence.

"Hey, I tried to warn you, but no… wouldn't listen to the old Colonel, no…"

Daniel's glare morphed into a sneer for a moment, then collapsed into the tiniest of laughs.

"Alright fine, Jack. I admit it. I'm no better at dealing with them than you are. Happy now?"

Jack sat up straighter and nodded just a bit. "Yeah, I think I am."

Daniel laughed loudly but with little humor. "You're unbelievable."

Sam and Teal'c joined the laughs for a moment, then Sam finally took pity on Daniel.

"They worked you over pretty good, huh?"

"You could say that," admitted Daniel.

"You do indeed look as if you have been trampled by elephants, Daniel Jackson."

Teal'c's use of such as odd Earth saying caused everyone (including Daniel) to break into laughter again, and when it was over, Daniel had only one thing to say.

"Some friends you guys are. You totally threw this party just to torture me, didn't you?"

Jack stood and walked toward the kitchen. As he passed Daniel, he clapped a hand on the archeologist's shoulder and spoke through a grin.

"Nope. We would've had the party anyway. That's just one of the perks."

Daniel looked at Jack's retreating form in disbelief. His mouth hung open for just a moment, and then he decided that he'd had enough of his three 'friends' for tonight. He collapsed back into his chair and closed his eyes.

He went to his happy place.

Tonight, that place was filled with warm sand of a decidedly non-Egyptian or Abydonian sort. And when Jack O'Neill's voice permeated his thoughts a while later, Daniel answered in the only way that made any sense to him at all.

"Daniel, you want something to drink?"

"Yeah… just make sure it comes with an umbrella."


End file.
